Game apparatus



1943- H. G. BURMESTER ETAL 2,330,951

GAME APPARATUS Filed Oct. 5, 1959 FIG 2 I: I: I:

I: I: I:

I: I: I: I:

I: I: I: I:

FIGI

INVENTORS W W m ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 5, 1943 GAME APPARATUS Henry Burmester and Ernest Levit, Jr., Dayton, Ohio Application October 5, 1939, Serial No. 298,042

This invention relates to improvements in games, and has for its object to provide a game board composed of some material to which a ma net will be attracted and on which magnetic tokens or markers are used.

Another object of this invention is to provide tokens that will adhere to a game board regardless of the position in which the board is placed and that will not move out of their positions when the board is moved either intentionally or accidentally, so that the board and tokens can be used on trains, boats, airplanes, automobiles and other moving vehicles, without the position of the tokens on the board being disturbed.

It is also an object of this invention to provide in miniature an athletic field upon which the progress of a game may be indicated. This miniature field and markers or tokens used therewith may be used by one listening to a radio broadcast of a game to record on the field the play by play developments of the game. I

These and other objects will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows aminiature football field with markers thereon for indicating the position of the football, the downs, the scores of each side, the direction in which the ball travels, and the distance the ball must travel to make a first down.

Figure 2 is a view showing the back of the miniature football field and a support thereon for supporting the field in a substantially upright position.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the miniature football field in a horizontal position with the prop adjacent the back of the field.

Figure 4 is a side view of a, token used to represent the football with the underside of the token shown in perspective to bring out the location of an inserted magnet.

Figure 5 shows the underside of tokens used to mark ten yards on the playing field and the score of each side with the magnets inserted in the bodies of the tokens for the purpose of holding the tokens in proper positions on the football field.

In Figure 1 there is shown a plate I, made of metal or any suitable material marked to indicate a football playing field, and having the end zones 2 and the goal posts 3 and 3'. The end zones 2 are spaced apart to represent a standard playing field, and are separated by the playing field 4. This playing field 4 is divided into twenty sections representing five yards each by transverse lines 5 called yard lines.

2 Claims. (Cl. 27394) The playing field is also divided longitudinally by columns of transverse short lines 6 called yard lines to indicate the down on each play in connection with the token 1. The column of short lines second from the left side of the field is marked 1st down, the third column from the left side of the field is marked 2nd down, the fourth column the 3rd down and the fifth column the 4th down. To indicate the downs the token used to represent the football is placed upon one of the longitudinally arranged columns of lines and at the same time this token is placed upon the proper transverse line, called a yard line, to indicate the position of the ball in its relation to the goal line. 1

The numbers on the left and right sides of the playing field indicate the distances of the yards lines from the nearest goal line 23. These num bers are multiples of 10, ending with the center transverse line, which is numbered 50.

A token 1 used to represent the football may be made of any suitable material, preferably of some plastic material, and has in its underside a slot in which there is located a magnet 8. The token I has on its top rounded surface and at one end an arrow head 1' to definitely determine the position of the ball and the direction in which the ball is moving in the play. The board forming the playing field is rolled back at each end to form supports 9 for-the playing field when it is supported in a horizontal position. To support the board in a substantially upright position there is pivoted to the back of the board at the point It! a prop II. The prop II is so attached to the board at the point II! that it may swing to and from the board but is limited in its swinging from the board by a lip I2 which engages the board when the prop I l is in substantially the position shown in Figure 2. The supports 9 form with.

the body of the board a space for housing the prop II when the board is in a horizontal position on a table or any other similar piece of furniture.

In Figure 5 three tokens are shown. The upper token l3 has adjacent each end and on one side a V-shaped projection H which is used for the purpose of marking ten yards on the field.

'In the underside of this token l3 in a slot provided therefor is a magnet l5 for holding the token on the board and to prevent its moving about on the board. The other two tokens shown in Figure 5 are used for scoring purposes and each has a projection I6 which extends laterally It used for holding the token on the board. These tokens used for scoring are adapted to be placed in spaces i9, 20 and II to indicate the scores made by the sides playing. The scoring is indicated by the projections ll pointing towards figures in the scoring columns 22 located in one of the end zones as shown on the board. One of these scoring tokens is colored blue, while the other is colored red for the purpose of distinguishing the sides. At one end of the board is a goal post l'which is called the North goal post.

' At the other end of the board is a goal post 3' designated as a South goal post.

The marked end of the magnetic football indicates the direction in which the ball is moving. This marked end should touch the yard line at which the ball is located on each play. The ten yard marker and score indicators are also magnetic. The magnetic quality of these tokens may be preserved indefinitely by keeping them constantly in contact with the metal playing field.

The downs are shown by the position ofthe magnetic football on the playing field. Each column of one yard lines represents a down. The ball is placed on the column marked "1st down, 2nd down, "3rd down, or 4th down," when it is first, second, third or fourth down respectively.

The playing field-may be placed in either a horizontal or an upright position in one corner of the playing table or on a side table. When the playing field is used to follow a radio broadcast of a football game, it may be placed in an upright position near the radio.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a game apparatus, a game board representing in miniature a football field, said field having longitudinally thereof a plurality of columns of transverse short lines, a column for each down, and a token representing a football moveable on and over said board adapted to be placed upon any column to indicate the down of a play and to be placed upon any of said short lines to indicate the distance in yards to the goal line.

2. In a game apparatus, a game board representing in miniature a football field, said board having transversely thereof a plurality of lines dividing the field into a plurality of spaces to indicate the distance from the goal, said board also having thereon fourlongitudinally disposed down columns of transverse short lines, four lines for each space, and a token representing a football adapted to be moved on and over the field and be placed upon a column to indicate the down of the play and placed with relation to the spaces to indicate the distance of the ball from the goal.

, HENRY G. BURMESTER.

ERNEST LEVIT, JR. 

